Amazon will have Prime Air delivery drones in UK and Italy skies in 2024

Amazon has just announced that its innovative Prime Air drone deliveries are being extended outside of the United States and into the skies of both the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as a third state in the US.

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Amazon says that it has spent the necessary time and resources to build out its safe and scalable drone delivery service, where they said they've refined the technology and are now building the right infrastructure to ensure the Prime Air drone delivery service provides the ultimate convenience to Amazon customers. The design work on the drones has also been an important part, with a tease of its next-gen MK30 delivery drone.

The company has also been working closely with regulators to design their new drones -- including the new MK30 -- to the highest standard set with those regulations. UK's Aviation Minister Baroness Vere said in a statement in Amazon's announcement: "Not only will this help boost the economy, offering consumers even more choice while helping keep the environment clean with zero emission technology, but it will also build our understanding how to best use the new technology safely and securely".

David Carbon, Vice President of Amazon's Prime Air, said: "As part of our continued efforts to innovate for customers, we are excited to announce the expansion of Prime Air delivery internationally, for the first time outside the U.S. We have been delivering packages by drone for almost a year in California and in Texas. We have built a safe, reliable delivery service and have partnered very closely with regulators and communities. We will continue with that collaboration into the future to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers and the communities we serve".

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Amazon's newest drone is the MK30, and it has some massive improvements over its predecessor. MK30 is designed to fly twice as fast as the previous Prime Air drone, which means Amazon can get deliveries out to customers further away from their fulfillment networks. Amazon has designed its new MK30 delivery drone to be quieter and to fly in a more diverse set of weather conditions. This means if it's raining outside or a bit windy, you're going to get your Amazon Prime Air delivery.

Amazon's drones also have a unique package delivery system, meaning packages are held inside of the drones themselves in order to protect them from damage during transit. Amazon says that just like its previous models, the new MK30 will operate safely and autonomously and be equipped with sense and avoid technology, which allows their delivery drones to identify and avoid obstacles in the delivery area.

It is so good that the delivery drones will even sense and avoid objects that weren't there the day before, with Amazon citing examples of a newly-planted tree or a mobile crane in its path -- its delivery drones will detect that and veer away, getting the delivery to you no matter what.